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3 ways to tighten up time in the waiting room

Physician Practice Insider, October 2, 2017

• Start on time. “That sounds like a no-brainer, but it's probably responsible for a lot of delays,” says Barbara Bergin, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Texas Orthopedics, Sports and Rehabilitation Associates in Austin. This is a tough one for some providers – every practice has had a physician or two who just couldn’t seem to get there at his or her appointed hour. In that case, try scheduling laggardly providers later in the day to make it easier for them to meet their start times.
• Get patients’ information ahead of the appointment. This is increasingly the norm but needs to be universal, says Bergin. In your pre-visit reminder calls or emails, remind patients to fill out or update their information, including their insurance information, before they come in.
• Keep foreign-language versions of your forms. “If you have a large percentage of patients who don't speak English, it will save a lot of time if they don't have to have another person fill them out second-hand,” says Bergin. Base your choices on the limited English proficiency (LEP) standards of HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, and you’ll have the added advantage of meeting your responsibilities under section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (PBN blog 5/13/16).

Read the full article from Part B News.

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